cross purposesadverb
uk/ˌkrɒs ˈpɜː.pə.sɪz/us/ˌkrɑːs ˈpɝː.pə.sɪz/at cross purposes
If two or more people are at cross purposes, they do not understand each other because they are talking about different subjects without realizing this:
I think we've been talking at cross purposes - I meant next year, not this year.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Misunderstanding
- don't get me wrong idiom
- forest
- get the wrong end of the stick idiom
- get your wires crossed idiom
- labour
- labour under the delusion, illusion, misapprehension, etc. idiom
- mental block
- miscalculate
- misconception
- misconstrue
- misguided
- misinterpret
- misjudge
- misunderstand
- not see the forest for the trees idiom
- not see the wood for the trees idiom
- put two and two together and make five idiom
- wire
- wood
- wrong
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